Oil does not mix with water, though the two may form an emulsion. Efforts are made not to expose aquatic environments to oil, i.e., to prevent oil spills, leaks, loss of containment or the like.
When prevention or containment efforts fail and an oil is introduced in an aquatic environment, spill responders are tasked with cleaning up (remediating) the spill. There are mechanical and non-mechanical clean-up technologies. Mechanical clean-up technologies typically have the goal of collecting the oil, and include sorbents, booms, pumps, skimmers, and oil water separators. Non-mechanical technologies typically have the goal of breaking down and/or removing the oil, and include chemical response technologies (dispersants and emulsifiers), biological response technologies (biodegradation, biostimulants, and fertilizers); and in-situ burning (ISB). The selected mix of clean-up technologies will depend on potential shoreline and natural resource impacts, the size, location, and type of the spill, weather, and other variables.
Among the mechanical technologies noted above, booms are floating mechanical barriers used to contain and control the movement of substances that float, e.g., oil. Booms are typically made up of four or five major components. A “membrane” forms the barrier. “Flotation” is attached to the upper edge of the membrane to give it buoyancy. “Ballast” is attached to its lower edge to give it stability. One or more “tension members,” or the basic membrane, give the assembly the required strength. Booms are manufactured in various length segments which are joined together during deployment, such segments being equipped with a suitable connecting mechanism at each end.
Among the non-mechanical technologies noted above, in-situ burning describes the remediation technique of burning the oil, typically near where it was spilled, as it floats on the surface of the water. Unchecked, a layer of oil on water rapidly spreads, reducing the layer thickness until it is too thin to sustain combustion. To thicken the oil layer, typically a boom is used to collect the oil into an area bounded by the boom. In-situ burning typically requires a specialized, e.g., fire-resistant, boom because the fire can spread to the oil adjacent the boom. The oil layer contained by the fire-resistant boom is ignited with the goal of consuming all of the burned oil via combustion, i.e., burning away all of the oil. Such a fire is regarded as an uncontrolled burn, i.e., a fire over which little to no control (e.g., selectively extinguishing the fire) can be exerted.
Also among the mechanical technologies noted above, fiberglass wool and mineral wool have been suggested as sorbents for an aquatic oil spill. Once substantially saturated, the wool is physically retrieved from the body of water, taking with it the sorbed oil, thereby removing the oil from the water.